In the field of blood dialysis, several procedures are used, one of which employs a kidney machine. In another technique, known as peritoneal dialysis, the patient's peritoneum membrane is used. As part of this peritoneal dialysis, an infusion of a cleansing solution occurs through a dialysis catheter which is permanently embedded and which liquid is subsequently drained. In this procedure, the external end of the catheter is initially opened for connection to a dialysate tubing through which the solution is infused to the peritoneum cavity. After a suitable time, the junction between the catheter and dialysate tubing is broken so that the infused liquid inside of the patient's body can be drained. It is imperative that the entire peritoneal dialysis procedure be done while preserving the sterility of the various devices used. Hence, initial opening of the peritoneal dialysis catheter and the subsequent breaking of the junction with the dialysate tubing must be carried out in a sterile manner. Sterilization is normally done by employing a disposable cup containing a sterilizing liquid such as povidoneiodine and submerging the peritoneal dialysis catheter end and dialysate tubing junction in the solution for a five to ten minute soak before the junction is opened.
Since the peritoneum membrane is susceptible to infection, great care is exercised to assure that the peritoneal catheter junction is properly submerged in the sterilizing liquid and for the proper time. In practice this means that either the patient holds the cup and catheter with a sterile glove under supervision by a nurse who also is doing other steps in the peritoneal dialysis procedure or the nurse holds the cup and catheter for the required soaking time. The technique of cup soaking of the catheter junction is awkward, requires a substantial amount of sterilizing liquid, is not sufficiently free of risk of infection, and tends to spill sterilizing liquid on the patient.
Devices for sterilizing catheters, needles and other tools used in medical procedures, of course, are well known in the art. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,141 to Rausing, a technique and mechanism is described for sterilizing the internal lumen of a plastic tube as well as its external surface. This involves injecting a sterilizing liquid inside a portion of the tube and placing this portion between pressure rollers mounted inside a container in which a sterilizing liquid is placed. In the U.S. Pat. No. 1,343,779 to Herbert, a sterilizing pan is shown with a cover having a slotted opening on one side to receive an electric wire for a heater to be placed on the bottom of the heater. A cold sterilizer is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,956 wherein a tray is hinged to a lid for submersion under a sterilizer liquid when the lid is closed. These prior art sterilizing devices are, however, not particularly useful for in situ catheter sterilization in a peritoneal dialysis procedure.